Jogging and beer: major elements of running the Hash
By Jenny Dodson
Editor
By definition, it's a "drinking club with a running problem."
In reality, it's all about beer.
Oh, and there's a little running involved.
About twice a month a group of Ole Miss professors, students, staff and Oxford residents gather under the name "Hash House Harriers." The members, known as "hashers," run as a pack and follow a trail of flour that can lead anywhere ... through campus, around the Square, or even down a sewer. They never know where they'll go next.
But they always know there will be a stop for beer somewhere.
"We call them 'periodic liquid stops'," said head hasher Gradient Man (true identities are not revealed -- only "hash" names are used).
The stops, also known as "beer checks," usually consist of coolers containing beer, soft drinks and some type of snack hidden somewhere along the trail .
The frequency of the stops -- a run last Sunday afternoon had five -- differs from the original hash runs in which a tub of beer was found at the end of the run only.
The hash runs began in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, in 1938, when British colonial officials met in a club nicknamed the "Hash House" They decided to create a run based on the traditional British paper chase in which the "hare" was given a head start to blaze a trail, marking his way with shreds of paper while being pursued by a pack of "harriers."
There are hashers around the world: Australia, Kuwait, Lebanon and most countries in Asia all boast Hash House Harriers. The groups differ little in form, and there is even a "Hash Bible" which details the rules and traditions behind the runs. But the "beverage stops" are the main constant in the various runs.
"My favorite part of hash runs is the beer stops," said new hasher Theresa Thompson, who became an official hash house harrier with her third run on Oct. 30. "Good answer," many in the group cheered following her introduction to the group.
Membership in the club is gained after a "virgin" runner has made three hash runs. At that point, he or she is officially initiated into the club with a "hash name" selected by the other hashers. Hashers Bitch, Oral Foreplay, Clam Sucker, Scratch-n-Sniff, Dirt Dauber, Wanna Woody, Slappin' Happy, Captain Faggot, Woodstock, Singapore Schwing and Sasquatch are just a few who compose the Oxford-University Hash House Harriers.
The hashers are an eclectic group -- among the Oxford-University hashers are lawyers, scientists, professors and students.
Different members of the group are selected as the "hares" for each run. They are responsible for setting the trail with flour marks before the run begins, and providing the beverages for the periodic liquid stops.
The run concludes with a 'down-down' usually held at a bar or someone's home. During that time, Gradient Man critiques the run and gives awards.
The "Hash-it" Award goes to the runner who "screws up the most," the "Haberdashery" Award goes to the runner with the best sense of style or fanciest jogging suit, and the "Hashus Interruptus" Award goes to the hasher who has missed the most hashes.
Each of the recipients must drink a concoction created by all the hashers pouring a little of their beers into one cup. The group sings the official "down-down" song while the honorees guzzle down the mixture.
"It's the hash version of 'Kum Ba Yah'," hasher Bitch said.
The Hash House Harriers not only have their own songs, but they have their own lingo as well, and certain phrases are taught to all new hashers. "On-On" means the trail has been found, and "Are you?" is a common phrase called out to other hashers to see if they have found the trail yet.
While on the trail, there might suddenly be a mark of three spots of flour in a row perpendicular to the trail. This is known as the "BJ" and means this is a false trail, and the hashers must go back to the last checkpoint, which is marked with four or five flour spots. From there the hashers must look for the true trail set by the hare.
"Part of the attraction for the hare is to try to keep the group as confused as possible," Gradient Man said.
The Oxford-University Hash House Harriers have a colorful history to them. All though no one really knows when it started locally -- "They have very detailed records ... not exactly accurate, but detailed," Gradient Man said -- they do know that the run they held Sunday was close to their 300th.
They say the past hash runs have been anything but boring.
Hashers remember one run through the Oxford Mall where they were chased by a security guard.
"He yelled 'stop running!' and that generated the typical response from hashers," Gradient Man said. "We kept running." They were later stopped by the police, but it ended amicably.
Another favorite memory is of the time the police saw an ad for a "hash run" in the newspaper. Thinking there would be hash, the illegal drug, the police "staked out in bushes" outside the apartment where the run was to begin, Wanna Woody recalled.
And the list of favorite hashes goes on -- from runs through the mall to sit on Santa's lap to a time 10 hashers were stung by yellow jackets, every hash run has something to remember.
But the favorite tale of all is of the time Gradient Man, the leader, broke his leg.
He was climbing a fence in hunt of the trail when he fell, breaking his leg and leading the hash on a different trail -- one that led to Baptist Memorial Hospital.
Rumor has it that on the way down, in true dedication to the hash, "his last whispering words were 'On-On!'"
Please see timeline of a hash run on page five.